WEBVTT - Listener Mail: Piano Fighter 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:06.560 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:12.560 Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. Listener mail. 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:13.960 My name is Robert Lamb. 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:16.800 And I am Joe McCormick, and it's Monday, the day 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:18.880 of each week that we read back messages from the 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.840 Stuff to Blow Your Mind email address. If you are 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:23.759 a listener of the show and you've never gotten in 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:26.080 touch before, why not give it a shot. You can 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:29.520 email us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:33.040 dot com. Send whatever you like. We especially appreciate if 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:35.479 you have something interesting to add to a topic we've 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:38.120 recently talked about on the show. But any kind of 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:40.600 feedback is fair game. Of course, if you have corrections, 0:00:40.600 --> 0:00:43.400 those are always welcome. If you just want to say hi, 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.199 send us a friendly message, let us know what you 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:48.440 like about the show, or you know how you listen, 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:50.920 any of that's fair game. Also, if you want to 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:54.600 recommend topics or suggest movies for Weird House Cinema, that's 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:58.120 that's welcome as well. Contact at Stuff to Blow your 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:01.280 Mind dot com. Oh, before we get into the messages, 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:04.000 brief announcement. We're going to be out for the rest 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:08.200 of this week, so there will be some Vault episodes 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:10.920 running in Tuesday and Thursday slots this week, and we 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.800 will have a Weird House Cinema rewind for you on Friday, 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:17.959 but we should be back with new stuff the following week. 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:20.320 All right, Well, what do we have in the mail 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:21.679 bag for us this time? Joe? 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.720 Okay, we got some messages in response to our series 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:29.560 on Strange Ice. This first message is specifically about a 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:32.440 comment I made when we were talking about ice shove. Remember, 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.000 ice shove is where ice that forms on the top 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:39.120 of a lake or the sea gets pushed onto shore 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:43.040 by wind or ocean currents, and in some cases it 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:46.959 can pile up in these huge ice dunes that, when 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:49.760 they get very large, can damage structures near the shore. 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:52.680 We were talking about one specific news report about a 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:56.480 supper club in Wisconsin that was affected by some especially 0:01:56.520 --> 0:01:59.920 menacing ice shove. So this message comes from John and Milwalk. 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.960 John says, Hello, I'm writing in about Joe's quote the 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.280 supper club is threatened. They're going to get ice in 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:16.280 their hot dish comment regarding an ice push threatening Jim 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:19.360 and Linda's supper club in your Strange Ice Part two. 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:22.399 Your comment made me smile, but I wanted to adjust 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:26.960 it slightly as a former Minnesotan and current Wisconsinite. More 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.480 likely you'll find hot dish at a Minnesota church or 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:34.880 community pot luck. At the supper club in Wisconsin, you 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:38.080 may have extra ice for your Brandy Old Fashioned or 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:43.600 ice cream blended Brandy Alexander. The ice would the ice 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:47.280 would threaten your prime rib special or fish fry, depending 0:02:47.320 --> 0:02:50.560 on the day. All delicious by the bye, except for 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:54.560 the Brandy Old Fashioned too sweet. Keep doing great work. 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:59.359 Thanks John from Milwaukee. John, I accept this correction, so 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.720 you are exactly right. For those unfamiliar with what I 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:05.840 was talking about in my original joke, hot dish is 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:10.840 a famous common type of dish prepared in the Upper Midwest. 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:12.919 I've never lived in the Upper Midwest, so I don't 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:16.079 have like intimate familiarity, but I know sort of secondhand 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:20.279 from what I understand, it's basically like a casserole blueprint 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:22.520 that can take a lot of different forms. But the 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.120 version I know is like some kind of meat, maybe 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:29.520 like shredded chicken or ground beef, frozen mixed vegetables mixed 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:32.919 with a can or multiple cans of condensed cream of 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.040 mushroom soup, and then topped with frozen tater tots, so 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:37.560 you bake that until it's crispy. 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:40.680 So kind of a casserole situation, right. 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:44.119 Yeah, we have similar dishes here in the Southeast as well. 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:46.960 I think they're just not called hot dish. It's like, 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:49.840 you know, Grandma's casserole or whatever. It's some kind of 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:56.040 casserole where a major ingredient is canned cream of mushroom soup. Meanwhile, 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.680 the supper Club in Wisconsin, I think that's like a 0:03:59.040 --> 0:04:02.880 somewhat traditional or old school, fancy type of fair where 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:05.360 you go to the supper club on I don't know, 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:09.000 Friday night or whatever. You get your classic cocktails, your 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:12.240 brandy old fashioned or whatever, and they've got prime rib 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:13.000 or something like that. 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:15.480 All right, all right, well this is exactly the kind 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:19.200 of email we like. We get some nice on the 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.040 ground regional feedback. 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:24.719 Right, and Midwesterners, I'm sorry, I hope that's close to 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:26.880 the mark as I just described it. I'm sorry if 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:28.719 I've slandered your culture once again. 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:31.680 All Right, we have some more. We have some more 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:34.000 regional feedback here. This one comes to us from Quinn. 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:37.039 Quinn says, I have seen the ice bubbles described in 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:42.119 the Strange Ice episode while ice skating on Lake Minnetonka 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:45.680 in Minnesota. Although not as clear and plentiful as the 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:49.160 photos from Alberta, they were very present. They were most 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:53.200 common around areas that were a little marshy with heavy 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.400 plant growth in the summer. My mother talked about when 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:58.960 she was a child, her and her siblings would go 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:02.280 hunting for one or the surface. When they found these, 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:06.080 they would use the toepics on their figure skates to 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:10.240 break open the bubble and drop a match into it, 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:11.600 lighting the methane. 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:15.600 That's an impressive story. I don't know how recommended that 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:19.080 activity is, but yeah, great. 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:21.279 I mean, I guess in theory we're dealing with like 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:26.320 individual small bubbles small amounts of methane, So I guess 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:30.080 it's fine. But yeah, I didn't even think about that possibility. 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:32.920 I guess it makes sense that these would be most 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:36.080 common in, as you say, Quinn, areas that are a 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:38.520 little marshy or have heavy plant growth. That seems like 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.760 where there would be some kind of decay or decomposition 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:44.560 of vegetable matter in the water that would lead to 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:46.040 these methane pockets. 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.520 Yeah. Yeah, because again, if you don't remember, you can 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:52.520 listen to that episode. The basic idea is that, yeah, 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:56.240 methane is rising up from decomposing organic material at the 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:59.120 bottom of said body of water, and then it is 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:04.799 like collecting underneath the forming layer of ice at the top, 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:07.120 and then it gets trapped and it forms like multiple 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:12.160 layers of these kind of squashed, elongated bubbles of captured methane. 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.080 Yeah, so thank you Quinn. Let's see Rob. Do you 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:17.520 mind if I do this one from Jeremy? Go for it, 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:26.119 Jeremy says, still on the subject of strange ice, Hello, 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:29.279 Robert and Joe. In response to your request for strange 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:32.360 ice pictures, here are a couple we found while skiing 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:37.159 in Switzerland in twenty twenty. These are ice stalagmites in 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:41.320 a tunnel. Best regards, Jeremy and Rob. I've attached the 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:45.080 pictures Jeremy sent for you to look at here. This 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:47.760 does look at some kind of cave or tunnel and 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:51.720 the floor is iced over. It has, you know, pools 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:55.400 of standing ice in the bottom, and there are all 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:59.440 of these spikes coming up out of the pools and 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:04.560 they're frozen. And I was wondering, are those ice spikes 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:07.760 formed by the process we described in the Strange Ice episode, 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:11.080 where if you'll call in that process, you have like 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:15.520 a pool of water that is freezing gradually, and as 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:20.160 it freezes from the outside in because water expands as 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:24.240 it freezes, it squeezes the water out from a remaining 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:27.080 hole in the surface of the ice and just keeps 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:30.480 squeezing out and expanding as the whole thing freezes over, 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:33.480 eventually forming these weird spikes that come out of the top. 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:35.560 So it could be that, or I'm wondering, is this 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:40.600 actually a stalagmite formed by accumulation through dripping, just like 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:44.320 a stalagmite in a limestone cave. I guess one clue 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:48.560 would be if the stalagmites below were directly aligned with 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:51.720 matching icicles above. But I can't tell from the pictures 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:54.320 if this is the case. So Jeremy, if you have 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:56.600 more pictures or insight on this, let us know. 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:00.240 Yeah, very cool photos, a little bit creepy. 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:04.720 More than a little bit. Yeah, there's some frosty, ghostly 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:05.880 magic happening in there. 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:07.800 Yeah, it might be a wampa back there. You never 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:10.320 know what's going to happen, all right, For this next one, 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:13.240 we have yet more regional feedback. This one comes to 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:17.160 us from Carlos in response to our Illusion of Control episodes. 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:25.520 Carlos says, currently taking a break from grading some papers, 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:27.960 and I thought i'd reach out about your mention of 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:30.440 Las Vegas in your most recent episode of The Illusion 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.120 of Control Part one, which I started on during breakfast. 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:35.640 First of all, I wanted to say thanks for mentioning 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:38.040 that there is more to Vegas than gambling. I have 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:40.600 lived here for almost three years now, since I started 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.440 a PhD program in literature at UNLV. I thought for 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:46.760 sure that I would hate it, that I would just 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:49.120 put my head down and get through the years. This 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:52.160 was based on my preconceived notions about Vegas, despite my 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:56.040 wife having grown up here. Growing up in Bakersfield, California, 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:58.680 we used to just come here to party, and that 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:01.560 was basically all I have associated with the city. It 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:04.200 was a pleasant surprise to learn how much more the 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:07.320 city has to offer, especially since before moving here, my 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.360 wife and I lived in Bishop, California, which has maybe 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:13.000 three thy five hundred people. I wanted to highlight something 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.439 else Vegas has that's worth visiting. Slash doing. In addition 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:19.520 to what you both mentioned, Red Rock State Park, just 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:21.600 outside of the city, is one of the most beautiful 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:24.120 places on Earth. We moved here in part because we 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.760 knew the climbing was good. But after a few years 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:29.960 spending time in the canyons, I've fallen increasingly in love 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:33.840 with the incredibly unique landscape here. It really is something special, 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.839 from the strange rocks to the huge rock walls. I've 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:41.000 attached some pictures anyways, thanks Carlos and Rob. 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.960 I pulled in some of the photos Carlos attached for 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:46.360 us to look at. Thank you so much, Carlos wonderful 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:48.880 message and these photos are great. So we have a 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:53.559 landscape seeing the canyon and the rocks at a distance. 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:55.840 But Carlos also sent a lot of close ups of 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:58.839 just beautiful patterns in the rocks, some of which look 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:02.120 like the weather on ju Jupiter. Others look like they 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:03.959 have patches like a cow. 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:10.000 Yeah. Yeah, these look great. Yeah. Unfortunately, when my family 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.760 and I went out to Vegas, we were primarily visiting 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:15.280 family in Arizona, and then we went up to Vegas 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:17.280 for just a couple of days, and we knew that 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:20.120 there was good stuff to see out in the surrounding area, 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:22.320 but we just ended up not having time to do it. 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:25.000 So if we go back to Vegas at some point, 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:26.679 I'm gonna have to make sure that we head out 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:28.120 and see some of these rocks. 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:31.120 All right. This next message, also about Illusion of Control, 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:40.040 is from Jessica. Jessica says, good afternoon. I enjoyed the 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:42.000 show and wish to thank you for all the time 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:44.320 and effort you put into it. I enjoyed part one 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:46.360 of the new series on Control, but was a little 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:50.840 disappointed that you did not mention Big Jewels dice in 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.080 the dice section. It is from Guys and Dolls. Unfortunately 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:56.800 I could not find a clip. It goes something like this. 0:10:56.920 --> 0:11:00.000 So the character Big Jewel says, and to change my life, 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:03.920 I'm going to use my own dice. Another character named 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.600 Nathan Detroit says, not to be petty, but may I 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:10.640 see those dice. These dice ain't got no spots on them, 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:14.000 and Jewel says, oh, I had them removed for luck. 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:17.520 But it's all right. I remember where the spots formerly were. 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:21.760 And then Detroit asks, you're going to roll blank dice 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:27.920 and remember where the spots formerly were. I guess. Jewel says, yes, so, 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.480 and then Jessica continues, needless to say, Big Jewel wins 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.680 all his money back. That is the kind of control 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.040 we all wish we had at the casino. It's a 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:39.640 running joke in our house when we place, when we 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.840 place dice, when we play I guess dice based games. 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:46.520 Someone get me Big Jewels dice. Thank you for the podcast. 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:48.720 I hope this entertained you for a moment, at least 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.040 as you have entertained me for many hours. Have a 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.280 good day, Jessica. Thank you, Jessica. And yeah, I'm not 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:56.960 familiar with guys and dolls, but that's a great gag. 0:11:58.240 --> 0:11:59.719 Yeah, I mean I know some of the songs, but 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:03.520 never never seen the musical in full or the movie adaptation. 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.320 Uh though of course it's, you know, considered a classic. 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:08.840 I did do a quick search because I'm like, I 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:10.880 bet you can do this, And sure enough, you can 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:13.640 just go to your any of your favorite online retailers 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:18.120 and buy blank d twenties to do with what you 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:20.320 will if you want to tempt the wrath of your 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:21.080 dungeon master. 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:32.199 Oh the mischief we shall make, all right. 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:34.320 This next one comes to us from Mike. Mike says 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:36.640 was listening to this episode while waiting for a bus, 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:41.040 and this was on the light pole I was leaning against. Lol, Mike, 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:43.839 let's see, let's take a look at this booture. I 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:44.640 haven't looked at it yet. 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:49.000 It's a very elaborate sign posted on a crosswalk button. 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:50.680 It's got a lot of instructions. 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:53.240 Yeah, yeah, so it shows us what to do and 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.880 what not to do when the walking man is on 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:59.480 the light, when the hand is flashing, when the hand 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:03.320 is solid, Harry, when you're getting the countdown. It's a 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:05.800 fair amount of instructions. But I mean it must be 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:07.280 necessary if they've had to post it. 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.080 I'm just gonna say, if they're going to make you 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.600 read that much text and follow all the instructions, I 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.720 hope that button actually does change something. 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:17.600 Yeah, it's also one of those nice elbow friendly buttons. 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:20.480 It looks like I'm a big fan of this, or 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:23.920 knee friendly, depending on the exact height. All right, here's 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:31.560 another one. This one comes to us from John. John says, Hey, guys, 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:34.160 thanks for your podcast. Here's a brief anecdote, followed by 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:38.920 my thoughts on control anecdote. I bought a lottery ticket once. 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:41.880 The jackpot was huge, so I thought I would. I 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.240 went to a gas station and there was a separate 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:47.040 line for lottery tickets because they were so popular. I 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:48.840 get to the front and I'm ask if I want 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:52.000 to choose my numbers. Understanding my level of control, I 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:53.760 say no, and before I know it, I have a 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:56.160 ticket and the next person is being served. My ticket 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.400 wasn't printed, but handed to me from a stack, presumably 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:02.040 a bunch of and of numbers were pre printed to 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.040 move things along. But knowing nothing about the lottery, I 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.080 couldn't help but wonder if I got a ticket from 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:12.280 yesterday or something like that. I think chance skepticism at 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.640 times limits both the chance and ease of being cheated, 0:14:15.920 --> 0:14:18.680 or at least a perception. Of course, you could also 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:21.120 see the entire lottery as a cheat. And he spared 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:25.120 me from ever buying another ticket. Hah. Yeah. 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:27.280 I guess they probably just pre printed him to speed 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.560 up the line, and they weren't trying to scam you. 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:32.920 But yeah, it may be beneficial to you just to 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:35.720 have that suspicion, as I think you're suggesting here, because 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.760 it discourages you from wasting too much money on a 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:39.880 losing game in the future. 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:44.520 Yeah, he continues my thoughts on control. I see my 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:47.400 mind broken down into consciousness and non consciousness, but not 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.280 in the way that's traditionally defined. I see my consciousness 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:54.320 as being pure observation and nothing more. My non consciousness 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.600 is everything else. I'll spare most of the details here. 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.480 A decent analogy might be that my mind is like ocean. 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.760 My consciousness is the sunlight. What percentage of the ocean 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:07.320 is sunlight? Zero? And yet the past present in future 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:10.520 sunlight plays a huge role in what the ocean was, 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.680 is and will be. How does control fit in? Control, 0:15:13.720 --> 0:15:16.200 it seems to me, is a feeling. It's often helpful, 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:19.280 it might be necessary for normal function, and it might 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:22.000 be impossible to eliminate. It feels like I have control, 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:24.520 for example, over what I include in this email. I 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:29.080 think that I do counterintuitively and walking a linguistic tight rope, 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.800 I believe I am consciously observing my non conscious control 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.800 splitting hairs. I would argue that consciously controlling what's included 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:37.920 in this email is a less accurate way of saying 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.800 I consciously observe my control of what's included in this email. 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:44.840 It's a potentially meaningless distinction, but one that I find intriguing. 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:48.160 This isn't directly applicable to the illusion of control as 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:51.040 you've described it, but I thought you might find it interesting. 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.520 I would guess the subjective feeling of control is correlated 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:57.040 with objective control, but I'll leave that to you guys 0:15:57.040 --> 0:15:59.600 to figure out. Looking forward to part two, if you're 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:02.880 not lost, I'm happy, honestly if you just read this far, 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:06.120 I'm thrilled. Thanks John, Thank you, John. 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:08.760 No, I think this is somewhat applicable, especially to stuff 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:10.840 we talked about in part three with like the magical 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:14.360 thinking stuff that you brought up, Rob, So I guess 0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:16.240 this has come up at a couple of points now. 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:21.640 But the idea of control can be taken in multiple ways. 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:25.520 One is a simple level of control, and it's the 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:29.000 meaning used in most of this research. It just means that, like, 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:33.720 what you do has some predictable influence on the outcome, Whereas, 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:36.640 on the other hand, there's this other way of looking 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:40.560 at control, the level you're talking about here, John, where 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:45.280 the closer you examine your own consciousness and behavior, the 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:48.440 more difficult it is to see how you meaning your 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:52.840 consciousness actually controls anything, even your own thoughts and behavior, 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.800 and Rob you brought this up in part three of 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.920 the series when you're talking about magical thinking, because even 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:04.520 normal physic causation starts to feel more mysterious and potentially 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.160 magical when you start looking for like, where's the clear 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:11.160 evidence that my conscious will is in the driver's seat, 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:14.120 and that evidence kind of seems to evaporate the closer 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:18.320 you look for it. However, I think, as you said, John, 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.040 in the more everyday sense, it is still useful to 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.400 make a distinction between outcomes we can control or influence 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:27.560 and those we can't, in that sense of just like 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:31.240 having what you do has some predictable influence on the outcome, 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:34.439 because if you don't make that distinction, you fail to 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:37.120 realize that difference, it can, as we talked about, lead 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:39.160 to all sorts of maladaptive behaviors. 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.040 All right, Shoe, we look at a little bit of 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:44.560 Weird House Cinema. Male here, Joe. 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:46.760 Oh yeah, all right, Well, actually I'm going to do 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.520 this one from Chelsea May, which touches on both an 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:59.119 older Core episode and on Weird House Cinema. Chelsea May says, Hello, Robin, 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:02.200 Joe of your Guys show, I own a cleaning business, 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:05.600 and your podcast has gotten has got me through many jobs. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.359 Keep it up. I did have a comment on I 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.879 believe the Sunken Lands episode. I apologize if I'm stating 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:14.199 the wrong episode. I had a thought about emailing you 0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.400 after it came out, but I'm just getting to it, 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:19.320 Chelsea May, having read your email, I think this is 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:22.719 actually referring to the episodes we did on these ancient 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:26.040 tales of lands where people did not have heads or 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:28.600 were said to have like their faces were on their 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:32.320 chest or their abdomen or something, and the context was 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.360 there is a strong possibility that these stories of headless 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:40.119 people are just purely fanciful invention, creative storytelling, or maybe 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.240 some kind of information got mangled in a telephone game 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:45.640 in the ancient world. But on the other hand, if 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.840 these stories were based on somebody in the ancient world 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:54.080 looking at people and somehow mistakenly believing they didn't have heads, 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:58.040 what could be the cause of that confusion. So anyway, 0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:01.720 Chelsea May's email goes on mention something about people on 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:05.600 ships seeing people on an island shore that didn't look 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:07.679 like they had a head. I could see how from 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:10.760 a certain perspective a person could look like that. It 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:13.280 made me think of my grandmother. She was one of 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:15.760 the sweetest and most caring people I've ever met, but 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:19.240 for many years she worked for Lee Outlet making jeans 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:22.160 and worked on a farm, so she was bent over 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:25.280 sewing for most of her life as well as manual labor. 0:19:25.680 --> 0:19:28.520 Because of this, she developed a humped back. When she 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:30.960 was looking down at something, her back could seem like 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:34.200 it came up above her head slightly. The people seeing 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:36.680 on an island could also have had this same back 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:38.800 ailment because of the work they might have been doing 0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:41.359 to survive. I hope this makes sense, but this is 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:43.560 why my mind went to my grandmother and I could 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:46.919 understand why people might have thought the island people didn't 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.720 have heads. Thanks again for all the information I've learned 0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:52.040 from you guys, and all the strange movies you have 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:55.720 exposed me to. My husband and I watched Santa Claus 0:19:55.920 --> 0:20:00.159 versus the Martians over Christmas because of your show. You 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:03.680 may well, I'm certainly glad to hear that the conquest 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:06.159 of Mars by the forces of the North Pole has 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:11.760 more witnesses. Now, yeah, yeah, that's an interesting idea about 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:14.359 these things. I mean I think this is one of 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:16.480 these cases, like we talked about in that episode, where 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:19.840 we're probably never going to know what actually happened leading 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:23.239 to these stories. Obviously it was not the case that 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:26.119 people didn't actually have heads, but it is interesting to 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:29.479 consider the possibilities, and that does seem like another one 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:29.760 of them. 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:32.840 Yeah, yeah, I didn't see it mentioned in any of 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:35.880 the materials we were looking at. Maybe it's explored elsewhere, 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:38.360 But now that I'm thinking about it, you could imagine 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:43.240 a scenario where you had a certain group of people 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:47.879 from a given culture that are maybe doing the gathering 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.479 on the shore, and maybe those people, you know, are 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:56.800 specialized in this particular task, or they're depending on elderly 0:20:56.840 --> 0:21:00.320 members of the society that can't engage and some of 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:03.560 the more robust physical activities anymore. So Yeah, yeah, it's 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:05.800 a lot to think about, all right. This next one 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:13.960 comes to us from Chewy Chewy Rites high Fellows, longtime 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:15.920 listener and a huge fan of the Weird House episodes. 0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:18.280 In particular, it's become a tradition for my wife and 0:21:18.320 --> 0:21:20.040 I to put these movies on in the background and 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:23.639 enjoy the dialogue while we doodle, paint and art every 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:26.040 now and then the art gets shoved aside and the 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:31.880 weird movie wins memorable mention robot jocks Oh of course, Yeah, 0:21:31.920 --> 0:21:34.840 that was a lot of fun. AnyWho, the RoboCop episode 0:21:35.000 --> 0:21:37.440 had you guys talking about the goofy stance that RoboCop 0:21:37.480 --> 0:21:40.280 takes when firing is gun. It reminded me of this 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:44.200 World War Two pistol training video with a similar goofy stance. 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:49.000